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Sports Arena
Beyond Thunderdome
This weekend, apocalyptic violence goes mainstream. Finally.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport (vaguely reminiscent of scenes from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome) which blends elements of more familiar disciplines such as karate, boxing, wrestling, and judo. Many of the top competitors are world class athletes, even former Olympians. The leading and oldest promoter of MMA matches (other than perhaps the ancient Greeks, whose pankration might have been more enduring had they insisted that the athletes wear clothes) is the Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC. The UFC launched the sport on pay-per-view in the early '90s and is now promoting a Saturday, November 12th match on Fox. This marks the league’s first foray into network television.
The UFC is a brand on the move. The company attracts sponsors like Harley Davidson, Burger King, Gatorade, and the United States Marine Corps. The stands of any given event play host to mainstream celebrities like comedian Kevin James, pop singer Mandy Moore, basketball player Shaquille O’Neal, and football player Reggie Bush. UFC events fill stadiums across the country and regularly outsell other pay-per-view programming such as boxing.
A few years ago, I attended the inaugural UFC FanFest at
the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. It was like any
other major convention. Pretty models beckoned attendees into
booths to examine wares. Sponsors dispensed free samples — the Bud
Light booth was quite popular. Titans of the industry held Q and A
sessions and made personal appearances in product booths to sign
autographs. The average attendee was perhaps a bit more musclebound
than one you might find at a consumer electronics convention. I
laughed out loud as a man spotted a favorite fighter and excitedly
greeted him by his nickname: “Hey Ax Murderer!” But the event was
professionally run, and the fighters were approachable, even family
friendly. This was a mainstream convention for a brand with designs
on becoming a household name.
It hasn’t always been that way. The earliest UFC matches were held as a series of tournaments to settle age old debates as to which fighting art was superior. Since there were no weight classes, the tournaments featured freak show matchups like the very first one: a kickboxer versus a sumo wrestler. There also weren’t many rules to speak of. The bout ended in short order when the sumo’s teeth got kicked out.
While this nascent version of MMA was probably pleasing to philosophically pure libertarians, it was unsustainable. Longtime boxing fan Senator John McCain referred to it as “human cockfighting” and it was effectively banned in most states and from most television outlets. So in a bid for survival, the promoters of MMA ushered in sweeping changes. The current incarnation is regulated by state athletic commissions just as boxing. There are trained referees in the ring, qualified judges, fight doctors present at all times, and inspectors on watch to ensure that the competition is legitimate. While the sport has only been around for 20 years in its current incarnation, all evidence indicates that it is much safer than boxing. Admittedly, the sport is still not for everyone — there will be blood — but walking around a shopping mall looking at shoes on the weekend isn’t for everyone either.
The November 12th match marks the debut of a new seven-year partnership between the UFC and Fox. While this is not the first MMA bout to air on network television (that honor belongs to a now defunct promotion whose fight card aired on CBS in 2008) it is a watershed moment for a sport seeking mainstream credibility. The Fox deal places MMA programming on a network that is a broadcast home for such household brands as NFL, MLB, and NASCAR.
Fox has thrown the full weight of its Fox Sports brand behind the UFC partnership. Anyone who watches Fox NFL coverage, or any male-oriented programming on cable for that matter, has been bombarded with commercials. Fox, occasionally the broadcast home of the Super Bowl, has promised that the November 12th event, to be held in Anaheim, will feature a star-studded red carpet replete with Hollywood celebrities and a Super Bowl-style tailgate party.
The UFC is on the move in foreign markets too. It recently held events in the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Dubai. In February, it is promoting an event at one of the most prestigious arenas in Japan. And UFC leadership has its sights aggressively set on China and the Middle East. The first fight for the Fox partnership was carefully selected: heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, a Mexican-American billed as the first Mexican heavyweight champion in any sport, is set to face number one contender Junior Dos Santos of Brazil.
MMA is a commercially viable sport that draws major sponsorships, sells out wherever events are held, is viewed by hundreds of thousands on paid television, and stands poised for even more growth with new network coverage. The sport is legal in 45 states, one of the few holdouts being my native New York. Thanks to the personal crusade of one assemblyman who has an outdated understanding of MMA, millions of fans are deprived of the possibility of an event at Madison Square Garden. And my fiscally imperiled state is missing out on boatloads of cash.
Still, MMA marches on with or without the Empire State.
You can now bet on matches in the sportsbook of any casino, or
watch at your corner bar. And promoters are doing their best
to dispel any lingering comparisons to cockfighting. If you
have never been exposed to MMA, I’ve got some homework for you.
Take an hour to watch the November 12th event. You may or may not
like what you see, but chances are you will be impressed with the
sportsmanship of the fighters and the overall professionalism of
the affair. You might even be converted into a lifetime fan like I
was. Just don’t be disappointed when Tina Turner doesn’t show up to
officiate.
About the Author
Bill Zeiser is a communications consultant living in New York City and a 2012 Publius Fellow of the Claremont Institute. Follow him on Twitter @BillZeiser.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (75) | Leave a comment
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Doorgunner| 11.11.11 @ 8:07AM
Gee, thanks. I should really try to get out more from under the rock in the back of the cave where I and the rest of the AmSpec readership live.
By the way, have you heard anything about these so-called "sell" telephones?
Alan Brooks| 11.11.11 @ 2:10PM
You are all the biggest cornballs in the world. Armistice Day. Martial sports.
Mushy sentimentalists.
PsychoDad| 11.11.11 @ 11:04PM
Veteran's Day, you cheap d00shbag.
God bless our veterans, and deepest thanks to them for our liberties, such that even a meathead jerk like you can speak freely.
Bob Grant| 11.11.11 @ 8:34AM
Doorgunner, I agree the piece was just a tad bit condescending.
I, however, will not be watching the event because in the past after viewing one I felt the need to take a shower. The sleaze factor is too much for me.
Too many tats, piercings, blood, mouthing-breathing empty stare downs, and cheap botox babes telling me what round it is.
As a kid growing up in the seventies, I was fortunate to follow boxing in it's full glory before it's demise. MMA will never fill that void.
Aww, remember those ABC primetime boxing events that preempted The Love Boat and Charlie's Angels? ....
Stormzeye| 11.11.11 @ 8:55AM
MMA is a disgrace.
"Human cockfighting" doesn't begin to describe the homoerotic mayhem that is passed off as sport. Boxing at it's best is truly "the sweet science". MMA, at it's best, is what the WWF would be if its antics were real.
The author is nothing but a shill for what should be presented only in video game format for the benefit of bored 12 year olds who have never experienced the rite of passage of real combat in a school-yard fight due to the feminization of our society. This homoerotic attempt at sport is just more evidence of societal dysfunction.
Old Soldier| 11.11.11 @ 12:17PM
Unlike boxing, nobody has ever died in a UFC match. And unlike boxing, retired MMA fighters won't be walking around as semi-functional retards years from now.
An MMA match is stopped the moment one of the combatants is too stunned to defend himself (or he submits). Not after laying on the ground motionless for a 10-count. No getting up, no 8-counts to gather your wits and take more blows to the head. It ends the moment the ref sees a man unable to defend himself.
Boxing is a far more dangerous and savage sport.
Moe Blotz| 11.13.11 @ 10:05AM
Right, that is why the ring enforcer waits until the subdued combatant takes a few more licks whilst laying on the mat before the match is ended. In boxing when a knock down occurs, the knocker retreats to a neutral corner whilst the referee ascertains the marbles of the knockee. MMA allows the dominant fighter to continue pounding his opponent whilst he is down. Some sport, what?
Alan Brooks| 11.11.11 @ 2:12PM
"Boxing at it's best is truly 'the sweet science' "
As in pathology.
Moe Blotz| 11.13.11 @ 10:12AM
Pathology is the science treating of diseases, their nature, causes, etc. I fail to see your analogy.
Occam's Tool| 11.14.11 @ 3:01PM
I've attended a local bout as a fight doc. Nicest group of kids you ever want to see. Very pleasant and polite.
Ultimate Foreign Concept| 11.11.11 @ 8:55AM
They are gladitorial games that kids will emulate and, in the process, injure themselves. And what of the fighters themselves? Brain damage, early onset dementia, etc. I don't understand the appeal.
Con Chef (NB) | 11.11.11 @ 9:07AM
Would you let your kid take judo, juijitsu or aikido classes? Or let them wrestle?
(not asking to be snide)
U. F. C.| 11.11.11 @ 9:21AM
Con,
Yeah, probably, from what I know of them. But they don't allow blows to the head, right? UFC does, right? That doesn't sound safe or smart, regardless of those barely-there gloves they wear.
WilliamInWien| 11.11.11 @ 3:06PM
A traditional Judo dojo will teach children the concepts of respect and discipline, sportsmanship and competition. An Olympic sport, Judo means "Gentle Way" in Japanese. The vast majority of the techniques provide an excellent basis for self defense as opposed to aggressive strikes. Excellent for women also!
Moe Blotz| 11.13.11 @ 10:14AM
Several Jewish bakeries in Trenton, NJ use judo in making their bagels.
Occam's Tool| 11.14.11 @ 3:02PM
Yup.
TrueBlue| 11.14.11 @ 2:34PM
Actually I got to spend a day hanging out with Dominick Cruz. He had all his whits about it, fantastic sense of humor, and definitely none of the star-studded prick attitude I've noticed from most boxers.
Boxers on the other hand tend to be jerks, and as their careers go on they seem to lose the ability to think clearly. Obviously the MMA guys are doing something right that boxing hasn't managed to figure out.
As far as kids emulating them, so what? I'd rather have kids that know how to fight than little pansies running around afraid to stand up for themselves.
Con Chef (NB) | 11.11.11 @ 9:06AM
Having trained in judo & aikido for almost 10 years, I LOVE MMA. Mostly for the grappling & submissions. As as guy who's not too tall or big, I can always appreciate good ground technique. And its ground component is about THE most practical part of martial arts anyways. If you can take someone off their feet & to the ground, & you know what you're doing, you can remove yourself from hairy situations with minimum damage to yourself & MAXIMUM damage to your assailant.
Besides, have y'all seen Hershel Walker fight? The man is STILL a freaking BEAST!
Mike| 11.11.11 @ 10:29AM
.357 Magum, center mass, at medium range takes the assailant to ground pretty well. And other than the GSR you don't have to get dirty.
Mike Johnston
SFC USA (RET)
Old Soldier| 11.11.11 @ 12:21PM
I don't think that is a sport that will get sanctioned.
I could be wrong.
Patrick| 11.11.11 @ 1:14PM
In terms of practicality, an assailant rarely asks you how far he should stand from you in order to get shot. A handgun is nice, but it does have its limits, and those limits increase the closer your attacker is and the more of a surprise he has.
Skippy| 11.11.11 @ 6:24PM
True that.
Always be prepared to kill anyone who approaches you.
Not hit; not knock down; kill. Quickly.
Seems harsh, but I have 3 daughters.
Mike| 11.11.11 @ 7:18PM
Skippy
I am with you. Don't let yourself be surprised and assume anyone unknown approaching you means you harm.
I usually get stupid looks when I am at an ATM and before I put in the card I look around and check out each person in the line behind me. And for some reason I have never been robbed at an ATM although I have walked away when I didn't like the company.
Mike Johnston
SFC USA (RET)
Tiddly| 11.11.11 @ 9:53PM
My wife was recently attacked in broad daylight at an ATM after she withdrew some money. A street bum seemed to appear from nowhere, jumped her and tried to snatch the money as she was getting back into the car. My teenage daughter pulled a pepper spray cartridge out of her purse ( a relative had given it to her when she went on an Amtrak trip last summer) and after some fumbling with the safety she blasted the jerk in the face and he took off running. There were other people standing around waiting to use the ATM, and not one of them lifted a finger to help my wife while she was struggling with the jerk (she said some of them deliberately looked away). I have since armed both women with a trigger-style pepper gun that is more powerful and easier to use, and my daughter has taken a firearms course in preparation for a concealed carry permit, with my blessing. This is not the America that I grew up with, it's getting worse all the time, and we have to accept that fact and deal with it.
Moe Blotz| 11.13.11 @ 10:21AM
When we were growing up we did not have the magic money machines on every block, we had to go inside a building somewhere to fetch our green backs. We are all more vulnerable when outside with a fistful of dollars. I usually collect roughly $1,000.00 when I visit my local cash monger, and I carefully stow it before I walk out the door. When I was younger I would flash a few $$$ in hopes some punk would try some s**t, but that type preys on someone they think is weak or defensless.
TrueBlue| 11.14.11 @ 2:38PM
If everyone was armed you'd see less street crime. Most of these thugs are too cowardly to attack someone if they think it could result in their own death.
TrueBlue| 11.14.11 @ 2:37PM
In most cases someone charging at you from a dozen feet will get to you before you can draw and fire your weapon if it's properly holstered. Being able to disarm the guy attacking you with a knife or get out of a hold from an assailant from behind is just as useful as having that gun. Personally I'm for knowing how to use both a gun and your fists.
THKrupp| 11.11.11 @ 9:32AM
After reading American Spectator for a while now I would think that the readers would all be MMA fans. After all most people here are constantly bemoaning the lack of manliness in society...MMA is manliness on steroids. Arent MMA fighters what all of you want every man to be? Im actually shocked by the negative comments.
U. F. C.| 11.11.11 @ 9:58AM
Krupp,
Manlyness, yes. But participating in an activity that will incur multiple unprotected blows to the head is not manly; it is stupid.
I feel the same way about boxing without that protective helment frame thing-a-ma-jig. A sport where the sanctioned *goal* is to injure the oponent, and, indeed, cause a brain injury at that, is, as Stromzeye wrote, human cockfighting. It diminishes us all.
THKrupp| 11.11.11 @ 10:40AM
Im in agreement with you but isnt it up to the man involved? Im not a big fan of spectator sports in general. Its a colossal waste of time in my opinion. I have never understood the vicarious excitement that folks have for watching sports at all. I played sports when I was younger. Football in high school and Lacrosse in college. I enjoyed playing but dont enjoy watching. Speaking of helmets. I always remember the first day of hitting during two a days. My head would be hurting so bad I would have severe headaches for several days after that until I got used to it. That was with a helmet. I cant imagine taking hits to the head without one.
Moe Blotz| 11.13.11 @ 10:23AM
Have a look at Rugby, real men there.
coastal elite| 11.11.11 @ 11:56PM
True. After reading AmSpec for a while now I would think that every reader of this publication lives in a trailer park. If there's a Spectator reader who graduated from college or makes more than $45,000 a year...oh, who am I kidding? Of course there's not
Moe Blotz| 11.13.11 @ 10:26AM
Right, we drink beer, smoke cigars, and enjoy cooking outside with real wood as well. We also work hard to keep this country running and take up arms to keep our enemies out so elites have someone to view from the top side of a nose. You must have a really big honker.
Occam's Tool| 11.14.11 @ 3:06PM
Coastal Elite: You are kidding, right?
I make $350 K or so per year. And I am nowhere near the top here.
SilentNoMore| 11.11.11 @ 9:53AM
For those who are not fans of MMA, you are absolutely entitled to your opinion. But to demean what is truly one of the most rigorous, skillful, and popular sports by calling it "human cockfighting" or other such banal names shows your complete lack of understanding or appreciation for what is arguably one of the most difficult athletic endevours one can embark upon.
MMA competitors come from all backgrounds, from such prestigious pedigrees as NCAA wrestling, Olympic wrestling, the NFL, championship kickboxing, karate, judo, ju-jitsu and Muay Thai to humble backgrounds on the street, fighting to stay alive, and then competing to put money on the table. In many places, just as boxing before it, it has provided those of less fortune the opportunity to excel at something other than gang life or drug running. It's rise in popularity, while definitely testosterone driven, is not due to some "homoerotic mayhem", but rather due to it's constantly evolving and improving nature.
Modern day MMA fighters are trained in every aspect of personal combat (with the exception of weapons), from striking to grappling, stand up to ground. Nearly every individual discipline within MMA is, in itself, a highly respected sport. The UFC and other promoters of professional MMA matches enforce strict rules, follow state athletic commission regulations, and do their very best to ensure the safety of the fighters. The athletic professionalism of modern day MMA fighters and their organizations rivals that of ANY sport in existence.
Most critics of MMA have virtually no understanding of what they are viewing, or the strength, speed, talent, and hard work the athletes possess in order to reach the standards of organizations such as the UFC or Strikeforce. Whether it's a Muay Thai clinch, a perfect take-down, a great scramble, or a cunning submission, the educated MMA fan (and especially the practitioner) has an appreciation of these techniques that goes beyond mere enjoyment. It is an appreciation for the thousands of years of diverse combat arts that have come together in the modern day MMA fighter, and the skill and determination it takes to rise to the highest levels of one of the most physically and mentally demanding profession in the world.
U. F. C.| 11.11.11 @ 10:00AM
SNM,
Fine. Put helments on them and have at it. What would be wrong with that? Or is the prospect of a lasting brain injury part of the appeal?
SilentNoMore| 11.11.11 @ 11:15AM
First, you can't put headgear on an MMA competitor as this would actually make MMA more dangerous by preventing escapes from chokes, and would likely not spare any longstanding brain injuries. The data on this is pretty clear, serious head injuries are relatively rare in MMA. * Especially when compared to other contact sports. This is a function of the nature of the sport, in which the rounds are fewer (3-5 5 min rounds), competitors are allowed to transition to grappling when they are sustaining strikes (which protects them from repeated blows), and the referee stoppages are more common once a fighter is being overwhelmed.
This is not to say MMA fighters aren't at risk for injury, but this is the reality for any sport, even ping pong.
If you don't like it, or don't want to watch, then don't watch. That is your right. Opinions are great, but I believe they should be supported by evidence, not based on emotionally charged and uninformed viewpoints that may damage the reputation of a particular individual or organization.
*1. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04.....enko.html.
2. http://www.jssm.org/combat/1/18/v5combat-18.pdf
SilentNoMore| 11.11.11 @ 11:15AM
First, you can't put headgear on an MMA competitor as this would actually make MMA more dangerous by preventing escapes from chokes, and would likely not spare any longstanding brain injuries. The data on this is pretty clear, serious head injuries are relatively rare in MMA. * Especially when compared to other contact sports. This is a function of the nature of the sport, in which the rounds are fewer (3-5 5 min rounds), competitors are allowed to transition to grappling when they are sustaining strikes (which protects them from repeated blows), and the referee stoppages are more common once a fighter is being overwhelmed.
This is not to say MMA fighters aren't at risk for injury, but this is the reality for any sport, even ping pong.
If you don't like it, or don't want to watch, then don't watch. That is your right. Opinions are great, but I believe they should be supported by evidence, not based on emotionally charged and uninformed viewpoints that may damage the reputation of a particular individual or organization.
*1. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04.....enko.html.
2. http://www.jssm.org/combat/1/18/v5combat-18.pdf
U. F. C.| 11.11.11 @ 1:20PM
"If you don't like it, or don't want to watch, then don't watch."
I don't. I am still allowed to have an opinion, of course, which is what public forums such as this exist for.
Moe Blotz| 11.13.11 @ 10:33AM
I thought the public forums existed so certain hacks could call the rest of us names whilst hiding behind a key board. BTW I tuned in to the big heavyweight title fight UFC put on. After one half hour of hype the action lasted one minute and four seconds. In order to fill the allotted time, the ringside talking heads had to rehash the brawl over and over again. To me it just looked like a street fight inside a fenced ring.
Old Soldier| 11.11.11 @ 12:10PM
"Put helments on them"
Really Nana? There ought to be a law to keep us all safe?
U. F. C.| 11.11.11 @ 1:22PM
Really, Old Soldier? Who said anything about a law?
Reading comprehension, O.S. Or have you taken too many blows to the head for that?
Bob Grant| 11.11.11 @ 10:21AM
Come on,
Your comment that MMA competitors "come from all backgrounds" is a little disingenuous. Most, if not all, are Johnnie Come Lately's who are only interested in the sport because of it's current popularity.
There's money to be made by athletes and celebrities hitching their wagons to a popular sport. Nothing new here.
Heck, you might even see a few cast members from Glee "anonymously" sitting in the audience and "coincidentally" caught by the TV cameras.
SilentNoMore| 11.11.11 @ 11:39AM
Cast members from "Glee", huh?! That would be hilarious! I agree that money is a huge driving factor, but so what? Is the current basketball fiasco really about workers rights?
And as for the "Johnnie Come Lately" comment:
Cain Velasquez, the son a migrant Mexican workers, NCAA wrestler, PAC 10 champion, now UFC heavyweight champion.
Junior Dos Santos, grew up in poverty in Brazil, took up martial arts and now fighting for the heavyweight championship.
Brock Lesner, NCAA wrestling champion. Former UFC heavyweight champion.
Lyoto Machita, son of a karate master, Brazilian karate champion.
Matt Mitrione, former NFL player and CEO of a nutrition company.
Kenny Florian, ju-jitsu champion, graduate of Boston College.
Dan Henderson, former 2 time olympic wrestler, has fought in 3 major MMA organizations.
Brian Stann, graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, former Marine Corp Infantry Officer, and now UFC fighter.
How much more diversity in background do you need? The list goes on and on, and most of these guys have been competing in combat sports their entire life. These are hardly "Johnnie Come Lately's." These are natural competitors and elite athletes from all walks of life, and nearly every culture and ethnicity imaginable. MMA is not some new kid on the block. It has been around professionally in the U.S. for over 20 years, and it's component martial arts for thousands of years in every known society that has ever existed. The only difference is that it is now sanctioned, monitored, promoted, and viewed on the same scale as any other major sport, and it's athletes and organizations are finally getting the respect they deserve.
Anon| 11.11.11 @ 10:37AM
MMA is probably cleaner than boxing and certainly safer. First, the fighters don't really wear gloves, so their hands aren't protected. This makes it far more difficult to cause a permanent, bludgeoning brain injury to a fighter than in boxing where it's almost necessary to induce a concussion in order win. Second, wrestling, by which most of the fights are won, is far less damaging than concussive blows to the head and the damage done is typically reparable if severe enough to require repair. As a final point, it's a more effective sport. A few pro boxers have competed - and failed to make an impression. I'm not a fan of the fight game, particularly, but MMA to me is less brutal than boxing and sometimes more interesting. That's a combination anyone should be willing to get behind. I would imagine that it's a lot safer than football or gymnastics, too.
ElPuma25| 11.11.11 @ 12:56PM
I'm a big fan of both boxing and MMA, and a former boxer and kickboxer myself (on the old PKA rules). I agree with your defense of MMA, it is certainly less dangerous than boxing and kickboxing and demands additional skills.
However I have to take exception with one thing you said: "...it's a more effective sport. A few pro boxers have competed - and failed to make an impression".
Not quite. Elite boxers have no interest in having to learning new skills for less pay, so the few that have showed up are from the bottom of the barrel.
For comparison, Chuck Liddell (a legend in MMA), is at best a mediocre boxer and he dominate the sport in the 00's with his punching skills and no ground game.
MMA attracts mostly ground-fighters, those college wrestlers and jiu-jitsu champions that before didn't have a professional sport in which to compete.
Stand-up fighters have boxing, which provides a much larger monetary reward.
The day MMA starts attracting boxers with world class skill, the sport is going to get even more exiting.
Ned Ferguson| 11.11.11 @ 11:10AM
I am a martial artist and a huge fan of MMA. To you McCain types, I say stop being such wusses who try to feminize men. Every society needs a warrior culture. It may not be pretty, but it is necessary.
Secondly, a minor quibble. The UFC did not "launch the sport," they imported it.
Bob Grant| 11.11.11 @ 11:32AM
Ha!
What good is it to have a "warrior culture" when it's limited to pummeling each other in a tiny cage?
How about these men put their "warrior skills" to better use...like serve their country?
Comparing these "warriors" to real ones is like comparing Evil Knievel to Chuck Yeager.
SilentNoMore| 11.11.11 @ 12:09PM
Many MMA fighters come out of, or go in to, the warrior culture of the U.S. Military. In fact, the U.S. Military has so many MMA fighters that the U.S. Army has it's own show on the Military Channel called T.O.P. Army Fighter. Several highly promoted UFC events have been put on at Military bases, and the troops get to meet the athletes. The UFC and other MMA organizations have consistently shown great support for the U.S. Military, and that support is often reciprocated.
SilentNoMore| 11.11.11 @ 12:16PM
P.S. The U.S. Marines are one of the most stanch supporters of the UFC, often airing commercials during events and having their logo on the octagon. The Ultimate Fighter, a reality show competition for the UFC, often interviews Marines and the competitors, and has them give quick points on their similarities as they train for combat. I personally know several people who were professional fighters who have gone into the military, and several soldiers/Marines who have now taken up MMA. It is truly a warrior culture that is common to these people, and crosses this particular social line. Of all the MMA fighters I know, ALL of them have nothing but respect for those in uniform.
Old Soldier| 11.11.11 @ 12:25PM
Yep. New Marines are trained in a hand-to-hand style called "Semper Fu". It is a mix of boxing, kicks, and wrestling - in other words, MMA.
Ned Ferguson| 11.11.11 @ 4:26PM
False dilemma. Obviously.
Occam's Tool| 11.14.11 @ 3:07PM
A lot of these guys are former Army or Marine, Bob.
U.F.C| 11.11.11 @ 1:53PM
Well, Ned, if intentional injury is so important to a "warrier culture" then why stop with fists? Use knives and guns...unless your a wuss.
Ned Ferguson| 11.11.11 @ 4:31PM
If you, your spouse, or your kids were under attack you would be grateful to have a trained fighter nearby. Or someone armed with a knife or gun who knows how to use it. Lilly liver.
U. F. C.| 11.11.11 @ 7:11PM
I own close to twenty guns Ne'erguson. Ninny.
PsychoDad| 11.11.11 @ 11:19PM
You, dipsh1t, are an argument for gun control. BTW, ever hear of fencing? Or jousting?
U. F. C.| 11.12.11 @ 12:13AM
You, dipsh1t, are an argument for psycho dad control. BTW, ever hear of croquet? Or lawn darts? Or bocci ball? Or hopscotch? Or marbles? Or hide and go seek? Or tag? Or pin the tail on the donkey?
Slacker| 11.11.11 @ 12:27PM
No doubt many other sports are far more dangerous than fighting. Downhill ski racing and rodeo come to mind. Apparently cheerleading, of all things, is the most dangerous high school sport. But, MMA has the problem as wrestling: Cutting weight. This this the dirty aspect of MMA. Cutting weight is very hard on fighters. Correspondingly, high level gymnastics is cruel.
Sports which starve competitors are problematic (IMO).
ElPuma25| 11.11.11 @ 1:13PM
Fair point, but here MMA is less cruel. Since is a new sport, its weight categories are more reasonable to today's larger humans.
Do a comparison with boxing, whose categories date to the late 19th, early 20th century (Just the basic ones):
Fly MMA 125 BOX 112
Bantam MMA 135 BOX 118
Feather MMA 145 BOX 126
Light MMA 155 BOX 135
Welter MMA 170 BOX 147
Middle MMA 185 BOX 160
Light Heavy MMA 205 BOX 175
Heavy MMA 265 BOX >175
Super Heavy MMA >265 BOX N/A
I stand 5'7", fought (boxing) at 135 and 140 lbs and walked 5 lbs heavier. If I wanted to fight at my natural weight (145) I would've facing 5'10" guys.
Most 5'7" MMA fighters do fight at 145.
marshcope| 11.11.11 @ 1:16PM
CBS a few years ago did a Saturday night broadcast of mma, with Kimbo Slice pounding a guy so hard that the guy's ears were bleeding. and this provoked Bill O'Reilley into a rant about the decadence taking over USA. Actually I prefer the local fights from places like Sioux City and Des Moines. As close as you get to the good old local saturday night rasslin from your local TV station. As for bigtime mma. bring back Mike Brown!
Dave Williams| 11.11.11 @ 1:29PM
.....morons beating up other morons for the amusement of yet more morons...yep, MMA represents the highest aspirations and achievements of humanity...
Brian Mc| 11.11.11 @ 2:39PM
My girls and their husbands go out of their way for this stuff. While in a sports bar, they were all glued to the screen. I looked up and saw a fighter with his legs wrapped around the waist of another. With one arm around the others neck, he was pummeling the guys face into jelly while the other was attempting to do the same to him...wow, exciting. The last thing I would call this activity would be 'manly'.
Dana White| 11.11.11 @ 3:47PM
When I first saw the headline, I thought UhOh! Here's another ufc bashing. But Mr. Zeiser does a pretty fair job here. Kudos! To the ufc detractors in the comments, there will always be a need for you. We always like to have lots of you pencil-neck-geeks and girly men at the beach to kick sand on and impress our beautiful girl friends! Go Cigano!
U. F. C.| 11.11.11 @ 7:17PM
Yeah, right, Dana. I'm sure you go around at beaches kicking sand on people. Stuck in an altered state of "reality" consisting of a 1950's comic book Charles Atlas ad, perhaps?
(PS "Sea monkeys" are simply brine shrimp and x-ray glasses don't actually work.)
Bob Grant| 11.11.11 @ 8:46PM
Dude, I loved those sea monkeys. I don't care if they were brine shrimp.
All I know is when they arrived in the mail, I was jazzed for a week.
The only thing more exciting was when those first 5 eight track tapes arrived from Columbia House Record Club.
SilentNoMore| 11.12.11 @ 3:53PM
Thanks for the post Dana! Great to have you on the forum. Thanks also for all you and the other guys do to promote MMA and bring it in to the mainstream. Right on, Go JDS!
PsychoDad| 11.11.11 @ 11:16PM
I don't watch UFC regularly, in fact it's been at least a year; I certainly wouldn't shell out for PPV. But I do enjoy it occasionally, and would repeat what others have said - if you don't like it, don't participate or watch. I would say in its defence -at least what I have seen - it is authentic. It isn't the carefully stylized fighting of boxing, it certainly isn't the scripted Stoogery of "wrestling," and it is not the overpaid, overhyped, carefully-wrapped make-believe mayhem of football.
I will mention one thing that impressed me on more than one occasion: one fighter would be ripping away viciously on the other, the whistle would blow for the round. The dominant fighter almost immediately went over to the other one, who he had been brutalizing moments before, put a hand on his shoulder, evidently asking if he was OK -the inaudible speech was replied to with a nod - a pat on the back, and neutral side. Also frequently, after the fight, the winner would embrace the loser, same pat on the back, etc. Usually very good feelings in evidence.
Oh, and whoever termed any of this "homoerotic" - you, sir, are the pervert.
Bob Grant| 11.11.11 @ 11:41PM
I don't think detractors spend much time thinking about MMA one way or the other. They are mostly put off a little because the author chose to write about the subject.
It was bad timing considering boxing lost a legend earlier in the week. The piece about THAT was excellent.
BTW, about criticizing the poster who described it as "homoerotic", don't hate on guys who would prefer not to have, or watch, males' heads scissor locked into other males crotches.
Mistral| 11.12.11 @ 12:41AM
That "human beings" should want to inflict such terrible beatings on each other is indicative of a form of dementia mingled with latent megalomania. That journalist should try to glorify it and justify it by their twisted sense of "conversion" towards its alleged merits, demonstrates an absolute decline into cultural barbarism and self-hate. Mediatisation of this desolate and abominable spectacle indicates the rise not only of an anti-culture of self-hate but of self-destruction too. Judging by the dissemination & aggessive imposition of western policies propagating the rights of abortion and sodomy throughout the world, we can well-understand that our civilisation has very little time left to run its final course into self-extinction.
Mr Zeiser you are unable to truly communicate because you no longer have any sense of human worth.
Occam's Tool| 11.14.11 @ 3:09PM
Uh-huh. The majority of martial artists I have known are disciplined, polite fellows.
This type of stuff is consistent with a solid culture, not its decline.
POST American| 11.12.11 @ 1:36AM
----And elsewhere in our FAKE culture,
take note, Eastwood's at it again, with yet
more 'skilfully' demoralizing POST American
fare with a 'Hoover' bio-pic retread.
Of course, also yet again, Korea era vet,
who never saw Korea, Eastwood, again,
BALKS the 10 year Anniversary of the
cosmically relevant, RED China Halocaust
'unfriendly' --------KOREAN WAR----------
---Now, back to your rectum worshipping
'sports culture' CON-cerns.
J Huston| 11.12.11 @ 10:30AM
As others have noted MMA is less dangerous than football, or boxing (because the gloves worn are much lighter so head shots are less dangerous).
On a different note, check out Cain Velasquez' huge "Brown Pride" tattoo. Nobody takes issue with it, even though a white fighter sporting a "White Pride" tattoo would be roundly condemned, if he could even get into the octogon. This just goes to show that liberalism is anti-white and liberalism is so pervasive even most conservatives don't even notice the fact that it is anti-white. In fact, most conservatives are really right-liberals, as they don't even notice, much less condemn, this aspect of liberalism.
Bob Grant| 11.13.11 @ 9:17AM
Perhaps he's a Cleveland Brown fan. No? ...
wedding dresses | 11.14.11 @ 3:05AM
As as guy who's not too tall or big, I can always appreciate good ground technique. And its ground component is about THE most practical part of martial arts anyways. If you can take someone off their feet & to the ground, & you know what you're doing, you can remove yourself from hairy situations with minimum damage to yourself & MAXIMUM damage to your assailant.